Robert T. Connor blended his love for the Navy, a flair for politics and
involvement with the intelligence community into a career in public service that
spanned 50 years. A tireless advocate for Staten Island, he shepherded the
borough throughout its boom years during his tenure as borough president.
Nearing the end of his third term, he accepted a post from President Jimmy
Carter as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy. He died two days after his
90th birthday.

"In addition to his many contributions to Staten Island, he gained the
respect of officials throughout the city and thus our borough gained respect,"
said Ralph Lamberti who served as Connor’s deputy borough president and was
himself elected borough president in 1985.

Bristling at bureaucracy and red tape, John (Jack) Turvey often took on the
city in his 40 years practicing law on Staten Island. The onetime assembly
candidate shared his love of law with a love for politics, always seeking to
gain parity for borough interests. He was 81.

"Jack had a unique broadness of interests, with such a keen mind and
perception, and studied all aspects of the case. No matter what the legal
problem was, you could always count on having an intelligent conversation with
him on those points of law that applied," said former Surrogate Charles
D’Arrigo.

Minnie Connors lived her life and taught others on the Golden Rule. Named an
Advance Woman of Achievement in 2000, her energetic spirit of volunteerism made
her fixture at Historic Richmond Town and in the Scouting and religious
education communities for decades. She was serving hot soup to visitors during a
Christmas event at Richmond Town just a month before her death. She was 84.

"She had a great love of Staten Island and preserving that history and Staten
Island’s place was part of the fabric of her being," said Ed Wiseman, Richmond
Town executive director.

It’s often said that what separated Mark Caruselle was not what he did during
World War II, but what he did afterward. Known as "Mr. American Legion," he was
a tireless veterans’ advocate, championing for health-care services, retirement
benefits and a World War II monument in Washington. He was also an instrumental
figure in planning the borough’s annual Memorial Day Parade. He was 87.

"For me he was the embodiment of the Greatest Generation," said Rep. Michael
McMahon (D-Staten Island). "As a young man he went off to war and really devoted
the rest of his life to making the community a better place, and will be very
much missed."

Largely considered one of Staten Island’s homegrown pros, W. Warren (Mick)
Fenley came out of the Marines at the end of World War II to play on the
original NBA version of the Boston Celtics. He played for a year and then
returned to the Island to begin a 20-year career with the NYPD. A coach at
Monsignor Farrell and Moore Catholic high schools, he was credited with building
Moore’s athletic department. He was 86.

"He taught me about relationships with players and how to keep the job of
teacher and coach in balance," said Angelo Aponte, secretary of the New York
State Senate.

Thomas Tolino’s stamina, especially considering an accident badly injured his
legs during World War II, simply marveled his friends. He began coaching youth
sports in the 1930s, making his biggest impact on the borough’s sports scene in
1954 when he helped spearhead the creation of the South Shore Little League. He
was considered its heart. Tolino was 87.

"He was responsible for that league’s success, and they’ve had a lot of
success," said former Tottenville High School coach Tom Tierney.

As the borough’s point man for Mayor John V. Lindsay, Judge M. Holt Meyer’s
long-range vision, humanitarian bent and passion to conserve the Island’s
character made him the driving force behind the conservation of the swath of
parkland that is now the Green Belt, and an instrumental player in securing the
site for the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Livingston. He
served on the Family Court bench for 22 years and played a key role in the
creation of the Family Court Services Mental Health Clinic run by the South
Beach Psychiatric Center. He was 78.

"He had a good sense of humor; he was very droll and low-key, and it helped
him during difficult times in court and as the borough director," said Cathy
Meyer, his wife of 52 years. "He was a good compromiser. Sometimes he was able
to get things through, sometimes he couldn’t, but he tried very hard to get the
borough to be a better place to live."

The pioneering cardiologist was regarded as one of the pillars of St.
Vincent’s Hospital, now Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton. His
leadership led to the establishment of the cardiology care and intensive care
units in the early 1960s. The concept of coronary care units was so new it
required the drafting and enactment of new legislation in Albany. He was among a
group that helped write the law. Dr. Quigley was 90.

"He represents the end of an era in medicine," said his friend, Dr. Thomas
Forlenza. "He was able to combine old-fashioned family medicine with academics
and it was admirable."

Monsignor John Servodidio was the perfect combination of pastor, teacher,
social worker, moral arbiter and defender of the downtrodden. He stood up for
the developmentally disabled when a proposed group home had divided Rosebank. A
believer in taking his faith outside the four walls of his church, he could be
counted on for at least a few joyful outdoor processions every year. Described
as "God’s worker," Monsignor Servodidio was 82.

"I recognized early in my life who my saint was, and it was him," Dr. Eugene
Mosiello who was among a group of West Brighton youth who became known as
"Father John’s Boys in the 1950s. "People like me would never have matured or
gotten educated or understood this world without him. I was fortunate."

Nicknamed "Old Hickory" during World War II, Capano was wounded at Malmedy
during the famous Battle of the Bulge. Inspired by the film "Saving Prviate
Ryan," he became the founding president of the Staten Island Chapter of the
Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, and the driving force behind the building
of a Battle of the Bulge monument in Wolfe’s Pond Park. He was 86.

"I could honestly say that as far back as I can remember the one thing my dad
always had was a heart with kindness and would go out of his way to help
anybody," said his daughter, Joanne Greenberg. "His life was about his wife and
his family.

Eugene Devlin was on the police force for more than 33 years, rising through
the ranks from Manhattan beat cop to Staten Island’s borough police chief from
1996 to 2001. With his low-key style and even keel, he oversaw a 74 percent drop
in crime here during his tenure as top cop. The respect and admiration he
garnered was in evidence at his retirement party in 2001: More than 800 people
packed the Excelsior Grand in New Dorp to wish him well. He was 61.

"He cared about everybody, and for Staten Island. He really, really cared,"
Charles Greinsky, who headed the Civilian Complaint Review Board from 1993 to
2003. "He never forgot he was a beat cop originally. I don’t know of Gene ever
telling anybody ‘no’ when they asked for help. He grew into a real great manager
and borough commander."

First elected in 1956, Sen. John J. Marchi, one of the most revered figures,
political or otherwise, in Island history, was the longest-serving lawmaker in
New York history when he announced his retirement in 2006. Though perhaps best
remembered for spearheading the unsuccessful effort in the 1990s to have the
Island secede from New York City, Sen. Marchi also was instrumental in saving
the city from bankruptcy in the mid-1970s, and shutting the Fresh Kills
landfill. Sen. Marchi also was a leading force in the successful development of
the College of Staten Island and Snug Harbor Cultural Center, and wielded
tremendous influence for several years as chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee. He was 87.

"He was the living embodiment that public service can be a noble profession,"
said City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn). "He was the gold
standard. We will never see the likes of him again."

Lila Barbes, 2006Named an Advance Woman of Achievement in 1978, Lila Barbes earned the
nickname "the do-er from Great Kills." She volunteered for her church, her
college and her community. A longtime member and former president of the Women’s
Auxiliary of the Staten Island Historical Society, she was known for her
signature "Pretty Van Pelt" dolls that she sold to benefit Historic Richmond
Town. She was also a devoted alumni of Wagner College, never missing a
homecoming or invitation to campus. She was 92.

"Lila has been an invaluable member of the Wagner community for 70-plus
years," said Richard Guarasci, president. "She has been a sterling alum in terms
of her support for the students and the campus. Her personality was
irrepressible."

Rosemary Cappozalo, better known as "Mrs. Rosemary," taught two generations
of Staten Island girls to dance, and was the driving force behind the revival of
the St. George Theatre. She gave free dance instruction, complete with ballet
shoes, to underprivileged students, helped dancers secure scholarships for
college, taught therapeutic dance classes for women recovering from cancer
surgery, and staged recitals to raise money for a host of community groups. The
2007 Advance Woman of Achievement was 69.

"She was a source of constant encouragement and love, and in her gentle and
caring way, she impacted the lives of everyone who knew her," said Susanne
Doris, the executive secretary/treasurer of the American Guild of Variety
Artists and one of several of Mrs. Rosemary’s who went on to become a Rockette.
"She changed the course of my career and my life, and for this, and for her
friendship, I will be eternally grateful."

An educator with a distinguished 20-year career in the public school system,
Sylvia Jacobson played an integral role in the development of the sex education
program in the city’s public schools. A teacher at PS 45 and Prall Intermediate
School, both in West Brighton, she went on to work in the former District 31
office of the city’s Board of Education where she was coordinator of the family
living/sex education program on Staten Island. She wrote much of the curriculum
for the citywide program and was so instrumental to its success that the city
brought her back as a consultant to conduct parent and teacher workshops. Named
an Advance Woman of Achievement in 1983, Mrs. Jacobson was 86.

Hon. Edward J. Amann Jr., a respected jurist and lawmaker who exemplified
passion and hard work, helped shape Staten Island during his 21 years as a state
assemblyman and 22 years on the bench. His name appeared on the Republican,
Conservative, and also the Liberal and American Labor lines, a harbinger of his
willingness to reach out to others in his votes and legislative style. In 1973,
he was appointed to the state Court of Claims by Republican Gov. Nelson A.
Rockefeller and was reappointed to three terms before being assigned to State
Supreme Court in 1993. He was 83.

"Here is a man who was both a competent attorney and a representative in the
legislature and that’s a hard balance to strike," said Richard Kuhn, a Rosebank
attorney whose firm shared an office suite with Mr. Amann for many years. "He
was very forceful and direct and an honest guy."

The much-beloved and widely respected former chairwoman of the Staten Island
Republican Party during its 1990s golden age, Olga Igneri led Island Republicans
through a period of unprecedented electoral success and served as a role model
for how to get the job done with determination and class. Dubbed the "First Lady
of the GOP, she presided over a vibrant Republican Party that simultaneously
controlled Borough Hall and the congressional seat. She fielded slates of
promising young candidates for city and state offices, capturing seats and
burnishing the party’s reputation, which she cared about more than earning kudos
for herself. She was 75.

"If you go back 100 years, to all the people who were party leaders on Staten
Island, her name would be at the top of the great ones," said former Borough
President Guy V. Molinari.

Johnny Ray’s shining moment of the football season came on Oct. 3 when he
accounted for 184 all-purpose yards in Moore Catholic High School’s win over
Long Island Lutheran. At practice, the junior was known for doing a trick where
he’d catch six or seven balls, holding on to all of them simultaneously without
dropping one. He was killed in a car crash, leaving his Maverick teammates in
shock. Ray, who was already being recruited by Rutgers University, was
16.

“I lost a great friend in Johnny Ray. And as a player, he was the
absolute best player I ever had in my 19 years of coaching. He can’t be
replaced,” said Moore Catholic football coach, Greg Rocco.

An advocate for quality vocational training tied to strong educational
standards, Louis Cenci taught electrical installation for 10 years until
becoming a guidance counselor at McKee in 1963. Mr. Cenci became McKee’s interim
principal in March 1972. In September of that year, he was appointed principal
of New Dorp High School, a position he held for five years until being named
superintendent of Brooklyn and Staten Island High Schools (B.A.S.I.S.). He
retired from that post in 1978. He was 91.

"He was a fine, fine man with high standards in education," said Lilian Popp,
who had worked with Mr. Cenci at McKee High School. "He was a good teacher, he
became a good administrator and of course he went on to become a principal. He
was a wonderful man. He always wore a smile, he was upbeat and I think the kids
loved him."

Catherine Johnson found her calling when a friend invited her to a meeting of
the Women’s Auxiliary of the Staten Island Museum. By the time she was named an
Advance Woman of Achievement in 1975, she was serving her fifth, two-year term
as president. She also volunteered thousands of hours over 36 years for the
Women’s Auxiliary of St. Vincent’s Hospital. She reached a point where her
schedule was so packed, she reluctantly had to turn down organizations that
sought her help. She was 98.

"She was very interested in doing for a lot of people," said her sister,
Dorothy Messina.

During the 47 years George Pratt resided on Staten Island, he made an
indelible impact on the borough, championing such causes as the preservation of
High Rock Park in Egbertville in the 1960s and the landmarking of the Snug
Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Livingston during the 1970s. He
moved here in 1962 when he was offered the position of executive director of the
Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences, now known as the Staten Island
Museum. It was a post he held for 15 years. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Pratt was
named honorary director of the Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, where he met Ellen
O’Flaherty, a future Advance Woman of Achievement. The couple wed in 1979. Mr.
Pratt was 82.